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The Situation Room
According to Lebanon, Major Israeli Operation in Baalbeck; U.S. Soldier Among More Than 70 People Killed in Iraq Today; Castro Ill, Temporarily Turning Over Power To Younger Brother; Interview With Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha; Israel Ground Troops Moving into Southern Lebanon; Mel Gibson Apologizes to Jewish Community
Aired August 01, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, it's midnight in south Lebanon, where thousands of Israeli troops are now on the ground engaging in fighting with Hezbollah. How far will they go and how long will they stay?
Plus, breaking news. The Lebanese army reporting Israeli aircraft have struck several targets near the northeastern Lebanese town of Baalbeck.
For almost half a century he's been Cuba's only leader, but an ailing Fidel Castro is now out of power, at least for now.
It's 5:00 p.m. in Havana, where Cubans are concerned, and in Miami's Little Havana, where Cuban-Americans are celebrating.
And it's 2:00 p.m. in Los Angeles. After a drunken driving arrest and an anti-Semitic tirade, now an apology. Can Mel Gibson make amends?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Israel's security cabinet today approved a stepped-up military offensive in Lebanon, and there are now new signs the war is widening. We're following breaking news this hour.
The Lebanese army says there's heavy military helicopter activity and new Israeli airstrikes in the area of Baalbeck. That's a Hezbollah stronghold in northeastern Lebanon near the Syrian border.
Thousands of Israeli troops are on the ground in south Lebanon, fighting fierce battles with Hezbollah right now. Israeli officials say the goal is to clear out Hezbollah from an area as far north as the Litani River. That's almost 20 miles north of the Israeli border.
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, today said it's too soon for any cease-fire, while another Israeli official says Hezbollah has taken -- and I'm quoting -- "serious beatings and has lost 300 fighters." Hezbollah denying that.
Israel today announced the deaths of three more of its soldiers. Five others were wounded inside Israel from Hezbollah mortar fire.
After a partial letup, Israel is set to resume full-scale airstrikes in Lebanon exactly two hours from now. And in an ominous turn today, Israel distributed leaflets in villages north of the Litani River, warning Lebanese civilians to pick up and leave as soon as possible.
The Lebanese army reports that Israeli aircraft struck several targets near the northeastern Lebanese village of Baalbeck. And as I said, that's an Hezbollah stronghold very, very close to the Syrian border.
Let's go to our reporter, Michael Ware. He's on the scene in Beirut.
And I'll begin with this question, Michael. It looks like the Israelis sense they have a clock ticking. They may have a few days, maybe a week, maybe a little bit more to do as much damage to Hezbollah as possible. I assume that's what Lebanon officials are bracing for?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, that would be right. I mean, we saw today that the Israeli military said that they would like another month to pursue their objectives.
What we're seeing now, according to Lebanese security sources, is a major Israeli operation in this northeastern town, Baalbeck, a known Hezbollah stronghold. Potentially one of the command and control centers.
What these Lebanese sources are telling us is that there's Israeli air activity, both helicopter and fixed wing. They're also confirming that 10 kilometers north of this town, Israeli troops are on the ground and firing.
So that's what we're seeing. This is the most daring strike by Israeli ground forces. It's certainly the deepest they've penetrated into Lebanese territory to the north. This is about 140 kilometers from the Israeli border -- Wolf.
BLITZER: The Israelis, Michael, have made no secret that one of their goals is to try to kill the leadership of Hezbollah, including Hassan Nasrallah, the overall leader of Hezbollah, to decapitate, if you will, this organization. Is there a sense in Beirut right now that this may be, may be Israel's objective in going after these targets in Baalbeck, not far from the Syrian border?
WARE: Well, that's certainly one of the potential targets. Here in Beirut it's late at night, as you pointed out. It's midnight here, so most people are hunkered down in their homes waiting for the expiring of the Israeli announcement that they would suspend airstrikes.
So, we have two hours until the skies are clear for Israeli jets once more. So there's not much reaction, of course, on the street.
But I think it's evident to say that this is an operation to strike at the heart of Hezbollah's leadership and command and control. This is one of their strongest safe-holds, or so, we're told, and this is certainly far from the Israeli border. So this is very much targeting that leadership.
The question is, even if you take out Hassan Nasrallah, what will that do? There is some, some suspicion that that could see the organization fall into some confusion. However, I would suspect that they are prepared for any kind of loss -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware in Beirut.
Thanks very much.
Let's go to northern Israel. Matthew Chance is standing by there, right along the border.
We've been hearing pounding going on from behind you all night, Matthew. Israeli artillery fire, lobbing shells into south Lebanon. I assume that has not stopped at all?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems to have lulled over the past few minutes just before you came to me, Wolf. But what we are hearing a lot of here in northern Israel is a lot of air activity.
Michael Ware was just talking about it. The jet fighters are streaking across us towards Lebanon right now. And so obviously, a lot, you know, kind of things happening in the air over Lebanon at the moment. On the ground, as well, a great deal of military activity.
Thousands of Israeli troops at the moment engaged in fierce close-quarters fighting with Hezbollah militia fighters, particularly around the area of Aita Shaab, where earlier today three Israeli soldiers were killed and another 25 injured. A lot of fierce fighting around there as Israel tries to really crack down on the Hezbollah strongholds, as it calls them, in that part of south Lebanon, with the objective of trying to spread itself across the -- deeper into Lebanon, to spread itself across the Israeli border to try and establish some kind of security zone, as it calls it, to push the Hezbollah back from the Israeli border.
The thinking at the moment, Wolf, is that that would be something the Israelis would hold on to, they'd hold on to that land, until such times as a multinational force is agreed and deployed in southern Lebanon.
BLITZER: When I was there last week in Israel, Matthew, a lot of the critics, the Israeli military analysts, the critics of the way this war was going on, they complained that Israel was trying to do it on the cheap, if you will, using air power during the first two weeks, clearly not enough to destroy Hezbollah. That if they really wanted to get the job done, they were going to simply have to use overwhelming military power, including ground forces by the thousands going in, that they couldn't do it with air power alone.
It looks like that that is what is now what's taking place. I wonder if that's the sense you're getting.
CHANCE: Absolutely. In fact, there's a great deal of frustration, as you know, Wolf, amongst many Israelis that after three weeks of very intensive airstrikes and very intensive artillery barrages as well of Hezbollah positions, that main objective, publicly stated objective by the Israelis to really destroy Hezbollah's military, has not been achieved. They've still been able to day after day hurl dozens of rockets into towns and cities across northern Israel.
What the Israeli military says is that from the outset, they really understood ground forces were the only way they were going to get the job done. It seems now they're widening that ground forces operation in southern Lebanon to make things happen for them.
BLITZER: There have been about 150 or 150 Hezbollah rockets coming into northern Israel on a daily basis. Yesterday there were only a handful that came in.
What about today?
CHANCE: Well, today, the same. Just more than a dozen rockets coming in from Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Really, it does seem that as these ground offenses continue on the ground in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah seems to be holding back from the -- from the firing of rockets that it's been engaged in over the past several weeks.
Now, what that might mean is that it's taking this opportunity. You'll remember there's been a partial suspension of Israeli air activity, airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure over the past several hours as well, for the past 46 hours, in fact. It's due to come to an end in another two hours.
What the concern is in Israel is that has been used by the Hezbollah as an opportunity to rearm.
BLITZER: Matthew Chance on the front lines for us.
Matthew, thank you very much.
Matthew reporting from northern Israel.
And coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM, much more on what's going on as this war in the Middle East clearly is escalating right now.
The Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, he's standing by to join us live right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we're going to have a lot more on this story.
But there's another war going on, this war in Iraq. A U.S. soldier is among more than 70 -- 70 people killed in Iraq today. The violence flaring.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck has the latest from Baghdad -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, most of the violence in Iraq today was directed at members of the Iraqi security forces. A group of soldiers who were traveling on a bus in a military convoy near the city of Tikrit, which is Saddam Hussein's hometown, were killed when their bus hit an improvised explosive device. Some 40 Iraqi soldiers were killed in that incident.
Another group of soldiers in the Karrada district here in Baghdad were attacked when they were approaching a bank on this first day of the month to cash their monthly paychecks. They were attacked by a suicide bomber, and several soldiers were also killed in that incident.
Finally, a unit of the Iraqi police on patrol near Mahmoudiya was attacked, and six people were killed, including one member of the Iraqi police force.
Meanwhile, multinational forces in Iraq also suffered losses today. A British soldier who was at his base near the southern port city of Basra was killed when his base came under mortar fire, and a U.S. soldier was killed when the unit he was travelling with hit an explosive device, an improvised explosive device in the southern part of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad, where the violence, the war, shows absolutely no signs whatsoever of calming down. In fact, it seems to be escalating there as well.
Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Domestic politics.
Disgraced Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney finally showed up for a debate last night. You remember her. She's the one who smacked a Capitol Hill police officer who had the temerity to ask for identification as she tried to bypass a security checkpoint at the U.S. Capitol. Well, during last night's debate she was asked about that incident and she snapped, "I was never charged with anything."
Well, that's true. But according to the tracking poll, the voters may have charged her with something.
The latest poll out just two hours ago shows McKinney trailing by 15 percentage points heading into next Tuesday's runoff election against former DeKalb County commissioner Hank Johnson, who is also black. McKinney's congressional district is mostly black and heavily Democratic, so one could presume that the winner of that runoff next week will be the winner of the congressional seat.
McKinney added to the damage she did to herself back then with a series of bizarre television interviews in which she tried but failed to play the race card.
So here is the question. Should Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's district send her back to Washington?
E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile.
Some months ago on THE SITUATION ROOM, Wolf, I remarked that if she was reelected, I'd eat my shoes. I'm feeling comfortable at the moment with my position of having to eat my shoes.
BLITZER: All right, Jack. Thanks very much. It ain't over, though, until it's over. We'll see what happens when the voters show up.
Up ahead, a historic transfer of power in Cuba. Fidel Castro putting his brother in charge while he undergoes surgery. We'll get the latest from Miami, where many exiles are already celebrating Castro's demise.
And Syria's ambassador to the United States, he's standing by to join us live. We'll get his take on the latest developments in the Middle East crisis.
Plus, a new and surprising apology from Mel Gibson. We have details of what he's saying now about his anti-Semitic remarks and whom he's reaching out to.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There are breaking developments happening right now in Lebanon.
Israeli forces, including helicopters, are in and around the northeastern town of Baalbeck. It's only about 10 kilometers or so from the Syrian border. We're watching this story.
A major ground escalation in this war also happening right now. Thousands of Israeli troops are now moving into south Lebanon. And we're only less than two hours away from the end of that 48-hour air campaign cessation, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, the Israelis are set to resume their air war full speed ahead.
We're watching all of these developments. The Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, he's in THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll speak with him shortly.
But there's another huge international story we're following. This one in Cuba.
Right now, in Cuba and beyond, there's a flurry of questions about concerns involving the health of the Cuban president, Fidel Castro. The Cuban government says Castro has fallen ill and is temporarily turning over power to his younger brother. But it's also unclear what Castro's current condition is and what that might mean for the short and the long term.
CNN is tracking all the angles of this important story. Rusty Dornin is in Miami. Abbi Tatton is watching the situation online.
But let's begin our coverage on Fidel Castro's future with CNN's Zain Verjee -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, there's deep uncertainty in Cuba today. Oversees, thought, Cuban exiles are ecstatic. The U.S. government is cautious.
Just two weeks away from his 80th birthday, Fidel Castro has given up power to his brother. But it's not clear if that will be temporary or permanent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): Fidel Castro, famed for his fiery rhetoric, hands over power for the first time in 47 years. Instead of going on camera, El Comandante released a simple statement saying he needs surgery from intestinal bleeding.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: People are asking, could he die from an operation like this? Possibly. I mean, that's the sort of thing that is serious no matter where you are.
VERJEE: In Cuba, word is that Fidel is alive and well. The head of the Cuban National Assembly says he is "very far away from his last moment."
From the White House, caution.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't know what the condition of Fidel Castro is. We don't know the exact facts of this because Cuba is a closed society.
VERJEE: But in Miami, wild celebrations by Cuban exiles, fueled by wild speculation that Castro is dead. It's impossible to know, and there have been false alarms before.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It would be premature to count him out, even though this is a serious illness.
VERJEE: One intelligence official tells CNN even if he was dead, it's unlikely the Cuban government would announce it immediately. More likely, this official says, this a dress rehearsal to assess how Cubans may react if Castro wasn't around.
The White House expressed skepticism that there's been any real change.
SNOW: And for the dictator Fidel Castro to hand off power to his brother who has been prison keeper is not a change in that status.
VERJEE: Raul Castro is described as less charismatic than Fidel, but he's a hard-liner, and experts say he's likely to tow the line.
Experts also say this moment may offer an opportunity for change. MCLAUGHLIN: I think if Castro were to die, the major opportunity for the U.S. government would be to encourage moderates in Cuba to press their case in an atmosphere where the odds of their success would be somewhat greater.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The U.S. says its policy toward Cuba won't change. The embargo remains. Washington has also just crafted a strategic plan to promote democracy in Cuba after Castro. One senior State Department official called the timing of that plan fortuitous -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee, thank you very much.
And it's not the reaction you would expect upon hearing about a person being sick. But some people are, in fact, celebrating right now.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is joining us from Miami, where there's a lot of celebration going on, Rusty. Share with our viewers, what do you see and what do you hear?
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you might say that speculation about Castro's demise is being greatly exaggerated here in the real living, breathing heart of the Cuban exile community, Little Havana.
The party has been shrinking and swelling all day long. But this is where candidates gather to smoke Cuban cigars, to drink cafe Cubano. There are candidates even today that are coming by that are running for office.
There's singing, there's dancing. There's a cacophony of noise and music, all for people who really, truly, many of them, believe that Castro is dead.
Now, there are some people who are already moving on to the future. In fact, some that want to see Cuba in the future, if Castro is dead, become the 51st state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that I want for my country, for my country to be part of this country. And I'll wait. We can go from one level to another level.
DORNIN: You want it to become a state in the United States?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: And that state would be called Havami (ph), according to this group. The capital would be Miami, would be southern Florida, including Cuba. They've gone to great lengths saying that the U.S. did belong -- Cuba did belong to the U.S. at one time. Of course, police presence is ramping up a bit, but there have been no arrests. Everything here is peaceful and a party -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Rusty. Thanks very much.
Coming up, the latest on the Middle East crisis. It's heating up. Syria's ambassador to the United States standing by to join us live. Will Damascus be drawn into the filing? I'll ask him about that and more.
Plus, Washington's special relationship with Israel. Our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, takes a closer look.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: As we told you, Israel is now expanding its military offensive in Lebanon. And Israeli officials say thousands of troops will be pushing toward the Litani River. That's about 20 miles or so north of the Israeli border.
All of this comes as the Lebanese army now says Israeli aircraft, including fixed wing and helicopters, have been in action over northeastern Lebanon in Baalbeck. That's not very far away from the Syrian border.
Yesterday I interviewed Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman.
Here in THE SITUATION ROOM today, Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, is joining us.
Mr. Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in.
Yesterday, the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, told the Syrian military to raise their military readiness to a new level. How likely is it that Syria will get involved in this war between Israel and Hezbollah?
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMB. TO U.S.: Well, you see, this is a very serious situation. Israel is not only escalating, but also expanding its military operations in Lebanon. They are very close to our borders right now, and Syria would normally have to be on a very high level of alertness and readiness.
And, of course, this is what Syria has done. And today, the news we are hearing is the Israelis are trying to infiltrate the Baalbeck area. And the closer they come to the Syrian borders, the more -- the possibility is that a total war might erupt.
BLITZER: Is -- this is, the Baalbeck area, that is a hotbed, supposedly, of Hezbollah activity. And as you know, and as our viewers know, Syria is closely aligned with Hezbollah.
Do you sense that the Syrian military is ready to take action to help Hezbollah because the Israelis are trying to deal it a crushing blow?
MOUSTAPHA: Well, right now, the situation is not as bad as it is presented to the American audience through the media channels. Actually, Israel is in a "catch-22" situation.
On the one hand, Israel only wanted to bombard and shell Lebanon. And, of course, they only ended up killing civilians and destroying the infrastructure of Lebanon.
Then they said, what we really need to do is for our ground troops to engage with Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah is very successful in guerrilla tactics, and they can inflict heavy casualties on the Israelis.
So Israel doesn't really know what to do. Now -- now...
BLITZER: But in the past couple of days -- in the past couple of days, the Hezbollah attacks, the rocket attacks into northern Israel, have gone down from 100 to 150 a day to only a handful. Yesterday three or four, and less than a dozen today. It looks like their military capability is being eroded.
MOUSTAPHA: Please do remember, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has said this at the very early stages of this war, what we really want is to have the opportunity to engage on the ground with Israeli soldiers and the Israeli troops so we can inflict heavy damages on them. This is what's happened in the past two days.
BLITZER: So you're saying that they will welcome this military ground offensive in Lebanon right now?
MOUSTAPHA: Exactly. This is what has happened in the past two days.
Hezbollah cannot match the Israeli air force capabilities and their power to bombard Lebanon. But once their troops are there, then Hezbollah can engage the Israeli troops in a fierce battle. And, you know, even the United States, the world's most powerful nation on earth, look at this situation in Iraq. And this is exactly what will happen in Lebanon.
BLITZER: But Syria is not going to come to the aid of Hezbollah, is that what you're saying?
MOUSTAPHA: Only if Israel -- if Israel attacks Syria, we will respond. However, Hezbollah does not need any interference from Syria right now.
BLITZER: Here's what the president of the United States said yesterday about Syria. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran must end its financial support and supply of weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Syria must end its support for terror and respect the sovereignty of Lebanon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Is Syria prepared to do that as a possible opening to the United States to cut off the terror organizations who have many offices in Damascus?
MOUSTAPHA: Once again, this is the same sort of rhetoric. The United States is talking past Syria, not to Syria. They only use the media to talk, while this is a grave situation that needs some sort of serious diplomacy. Look at what happened with the Secretary Rice when she visited the Middle East.
She was only dictating on the Lebanese, she ended up, even with the government of Siniora, the close friends to President Bush and to the U.S. administration, saying we do not want to meet with Secretary Rice any more. I think this is time for the U.S. administration to start taking things seriously and start engaging all parties in diplomatic discussions, not talking through media channels.
BLITZER: Let me have you respond, following up on that question to the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, who was in THE SITUATION ROOM yesterday, because he follows up on this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: Syria is a home, a very gracious and warm home for over 10 different terror organizations including the Hamas and the Islamic jihad. So Syria doesn't really have to raise any readiness in order to prove to the rest of the world that it is a terror supporting regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Question, in order to get a dialogue going, relations effectively resumed with the Bush administration. Are you prepared to shut down those organizations in Damascus?
MOUSTAPHA: No, because this is trying to destruct the international world opinion on what's actually going on in Lebanon right now. Syria is not the issue. They try -- President Bush has done this, the Israeli ambassador has done this. They try to talk about Syria, while Israel is actually massacring the Lebanese people and destroying Lebanon.
The issue is Lebanon, the issue is not Syria. Trying to say Syria is supporting this or that group is useless. Nelson Mandela himself was described as a terrorist, he was in prison for 22 years. This is only trying to divert the attention from the issue. The issue is the occupation and the aggression.
BLITZER: We're almost out of time. But does Syria support what the United States and the Europeans are trying to achieve right now, an international stabilization force to go into south Lebanon and patrol that area to make sure Hezbollah is not rearmed and that rockets no longer endanger northern Israel?
MOUSTAPHA: Syria supports two things. On the short term we support what the United Nations and most of the European nations are trying to do, an immediate cease-fire so that the Lebanese civilians can be spared. This is on the short term. And on the long term, we fully support a comprehensive solution to the whole Middle East problem.
BLITZER: Including a U.N.-backed force?
MOUSTAPHA: We want a comprehensive solution. We want the occupation to end. We want to live in peace with Israel and with everybody else. Enough is enough. The occupation should stop.
BLITZER: Imad Moustapha, Syria's ambassador here in Washington. Thanks for coming in again.
MOUSTAPHA: You're welcome.
BLITZER: And coming up. It's one of Washington's most costly and complicated relationships. So what do ties between the United States and Israel have to do right now with what's happening in the region? Our senior analyst Jeff Greenfield explains. Plus, new details of Mel Gibson's new apology to the Jewish community. But is it enough to save his career? We'll talk to Hollywood insiders about the possible fallout. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We have breaking news we're following out of Lebanon right now. Israeli ground forces moving in with thousands of troops into south Lebanon. Israeli military aircraft helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, now in northeastern part of Lebanon near Baalbeck, that's described as a Hezbollah stronghold not far from the Syrian border.
And in only less than an hour and a half from now, the 48 hour deadline, the cessation of Israeli air strikes will end. And at 7:00 p.m. eastern, the Israeli air force is getting ready to unleash its air power with no more restrictions. Brent Sadler is standing by in Lebanon. He's got some more information. Brent, first of all, where are you?
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm about three quarters of a mile from the Israeli border at a place called Nakura (ph) in the western sector, and I can tell you that throughout this day, I hear an intense bombardment along various suspected Hezbollah strongholds and villages along this part of the war front.
Now the Israelis as you say are now engaged in a lot of action. At least six locations where up to 6,000 Israeli troops are now involved in ground operations, supported by heavy artillery support and also assisted by air activity, although no reported heavy air strikes at this stage in south Lebanon.
So now, attention further north, in fact very deep north into Lebanon. Confirmed reports from security sources in Lebanon that the Israelis have been trying to land, according to reports, troops, possibly Special Forces from helicopters, again supported by air power in Baalbeck. Now Baalbeck is in the Bekaa Valley, it's a well known stronghold to Hezbollah.
This action has gone about 10 miles north of Baalbeck. Conflicting reports that the Israelis tried but failed as a result of strong counter measures by Hezbollah to land troops. So there are reports of a new area of combat opening up in the north -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And the Baalbeck area is significant. The Israelis have suggested that this is a hot bed of Hezbollah activity. A lot of Hezbollah leaders there. Do we know that independently, Brent?
SADLER: Yes, I can tell you that Baalbeck has been notorious over the decades for having been a location where extremist groups, armed groups train, and were equipped. That has been a feature of that area for a long, long time. And it is possible, according to some analysts that I've just had a word with, that perhaps this is not an offensive action.
This might have been some sort of snatch operation to grab a high value Hezbollah leadership target. At this stage we simply don't know, but we can confirm the Israelis have been engaged with Hezbollah in that area, and that operations are still continuing -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brent Sadler, we'll continue to watch this story. Thanks very much. We're monitoring all the late breaking developments in the Middle East crisis. Washington often finds itself at odds with allies and enemies alike over its unwavering support of Israel. CNN's senior analyst Jeff Greenfield takes a closer look at what's behind the two country's ties -- Jeff.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Wolf, it has been one of the central facts of international politics for decades. The United States is and has been Israel's most consistent and important supporter. Even as much of the international community views Israel with critical wariness or with outright hostility. Why is this?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREENFIELD (voice-over): It goes back nearly 60 years to 1948 when President Harry Truman recognized the new state of Israel moments after it proclaimed its existence. It has continued through presidents Republican and democratic, through Israeli prime ministers left and right.
It has flourished during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The massacres at Lebanese refugee camps and occasional splits over strategy and tactics. Why? In some parts of the world U.S. support is described to be political and financial influence of American Jews.
But while the Jewish road is significant in some big electoral states that does not explain the overwhelming support Americans give to Israel. One survey showed American sympathies are more toward Israel than toward Arab nations by a nearly five to one margin. So other factors are at work here. For one thing, Israel is more like us, it's a country with free speech, a free often contentious press. In a region where most other nations are either closed or just beginning tentative steps toward democracy.
Then there's history. Israel was created three years after the end of World War II while memories of the slaughter of Jews were fresh. More recently, Israel was a key, maybe the only regional ally of the U.S. throughout the Cold War, when the Soviet Union and the Arabs were in close alliance. And while there is no Cold War today, the linchpin of the Bush administration's Middle East policy, the emphasis on democracy, the shunning of states like Syria and Iran, is in sync with Israel's desires.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love Israel. Shalom, shalom!
GREENFIELD: And then there are the American evangelical Christians, many of whom see Israel's birth as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. For some even a sign that the end times, the last days are coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bring you greetings from the president of the United States, this letter from George Bush.
GREENFIELD: One of the most prominent evangelicals, John Hagee, recently hosted a large gathering of pro Israel evangelicals in Washington. And given the strong ties between evangelicals and the Republican Party, this has tended to broaden and solidify a bipartisan pro Israel politics in the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GREENFIELD: Most fundamentally, Americans have always seen Israel as a nation forced to fight for survival in the face of neighbors, many of whom explicitly call for its extinction. While most other western nations are far less sympathetic to Israel than America is and far more sympathetic to the Palestinians, considering them the victims of Israeli occupation. This divide is likely to only widen and deepen with the current grim news -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield, thank you very much. Our internet team is monitoring the web for the latest images and personal stories coming out of the Middle East crisis. Now CNN has another tool to bring you all the on-the-ground reports. Our internet reporter Jacki Schechner standing by with that. Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, we continue to show you things like flickr.com, the group photo site and this is a photo coming out of Lebanon. It is a guy named Masser who's a journalist and he is taking a photo of a man who just narrowly escaped an Israeli air strike, actually the area of Baalbeck that we're now talking about.
This was taken a few days ago. There is also Niv Calderon in Israel who is monitoring the situation there on the ground, he posted this photo of a cell phone store in northern Israel that had been destroyed. Now we have this photo as well, and this was actually sent to us here at CNN through a new tool we have called I-Report.
It's a student at the University of Toronto, his name is Casey Barton. This was a pro Hezbollah protest. He says he was studying in his office, he heard the noise, he ran outside and took this photo with his cell phone. He sent it to us directly here at CNN. This is what this portal looks like.
It's called I-Report. It's your opportunity to be a reporter for us here at CNN. If you see something, witness something, want to tell us about something, just go ahead and upload it through this Web site. It can be on any topic. For example, James Christi sent us this photo, I guess he wanted to show us how hot it was in Kokomo, Indiana.
Its heat index today reaching 110 degrees, you can see the squirrel taking a break there in the shade. So go ahead and go online, CNN.com/ireport. It's just your opportunity to give us some of the content. As we continue to go out on the web, we're also going to take a look at the stuff that you send us -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jacki thank you very much. Still to come, much more on the crisis in the Middle East. The breaking news we've been following. Also, Mel Gibson apologizes again and now he's reaching out to the Jewish community, seeking forgiveness for his anti-Semitic tirade.
But is it enough to save his career? Plus, Jack Cafferty thinking about Georgia's controversial congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Should her district send her back to Washington? Jack standing by with "The Cafferty File," stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The actor Mel Gibson is apologizing again for his anti- Semitic tirade during a DUI arrest and this time he's reaching out to the Jewish community directly asking for help and forgiveness. CNN's Chris Lawrence is following the story for us from Los Angeles. Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the head of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League says he's willing to forgive Mel Gibson. The question is, will Hollywood executives still want to do business with him?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Mel Gibson released another apology Tuesday for the first time speaking specifically to the Jewish community, quote, "I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me and that will be understandable. But I pray that door is not forever closed." He asked forgiveness, but the fallout is deep.
After drinking at a Malibu bar with tourists last week, Gibson was pulled over for speeding on the Pacific Coast highway. He was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, and afterwards went on a rant against Jewish people, allegedly saying quote, "F'ing Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's assume that he really believes this and there are some Jewish executives that are sitting across from him, absolutely, they might have second thoughts about wanting to do business.
LAWRENCE: Spiderman producer Laura Ziskin is Jewish. She called Gibson's comments, quote "Appalling and sad." And producer Arna Nilchin was quoted in the "L.A. Times" saying quote, "To make all your money from Jews and say you hate Jews is shocking." But some say Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" film built up a lot of goodwill in the Christian community. And even President Bush's spokesman addressed Gibson's apology.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president believes in the forgiveness of sins for all who seek forgiveness.
LAWRENCE: Gibson's statement makes his position clear. Quote, "Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite, I am not a bigot."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now Disney is producing Mel Gibson's next film and the head of its studio is Jewish. He says he's prepared to forgive Gibson, but ABC has cancelled plans for a mini-series about the holocaust that it was developing with Gibson's company. Although ABC didn't specifically say it was because of what the actor said -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Chris Lawrence in L.A., thank you. Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour and he's standing by to give us a preview. Hi Lou.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf thank you. Coming up at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on CNN, we will have the very latest on Israel's expanding war against Hezbollah. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations is among my guest here tonight. We'll also be talking with a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense, who says the United Nations is simply too close to Hezbollah to play any role whatsoever in any peace deal.
Also communist Cuba faces an uncertain future after Fidel Castro's emergency surgery. Will Castro's regime survive? We'll be going live to Havana for the very latest. And in the losing battle of our broken borders, tonight you'll meet a federal judge overwhelmed by illegal immigration and the war on drugs at our southern border. You don't want to miss it, we hope you'll be with us. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Lou thank you very much. And this just coming in from the "Associated Press." Hezbollah television now, Al-Manar, saying that Hezbollah guerrillas are fighting Israeli troops on the ground in north eastern Lebanon in the town of Baalbeck, that's seen as a Hezbollah stronghold, only 10 kilometers or so from the Syrian border.
We're watching this very significant change in the Middle East crisis as thousands of Israeli troops move into south Lebanon. And only about an hour or so from now that 48 hour cessation of Israel's air war is about to end. We're going to be live 7:00 p.m. eastern as that deadline, 48 hour deadline ends. Much more on that coming up.
Also coming up, Jack Cafferty, he wants to know, should she stay or should she go. That would be democratic congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia running for reelection after being so loudly criticized for hitting a Capitol Hill police officer.
Jack wants to know how you would vote. He's got your email. Stay with us. And there's a new tropical storm by the way swirling in the Atlantic, it's called Chris. Might it become a hurricane and might it reach Florida? Stand by for details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Beyond the Middle East crisis, there are other important stories making news. Let's check back with Zain. Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf, overstressed power grids and millions of people stressed out. The heat is on from the Midwest to the east coast. Heat, humidity and personal misery levels are all soaring as places like Chicago, St. Louis, Washington and New York experience temperatures near or above 100 degrees. Experts say heat sufferers should drink water, wear lose clothing and limit their sun exposure.
Water is rushing through the streets of El Paso, Texas right now on the third straight day of drenching rains in the area. Residents have evacuated to emergency shelters and some buildings are threatening to collapse. Authorities say at least 60 people have been rescued, some standing on the tops of roofs and their cars. So far there are no reports of serious injuries.
Nature is also having its way out in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical storm Chris formed today near the Leeward Islands, it's the third named storm this season. Forecasters say that Chris could grow stronger and appears to be on a path toward Puerto Rico and the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It could reach the Bahamas by Sunday and possibly the southeast Florida coast.
More defiance from Iran. Its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is rejecting yesterday's U.N. mandate to suspend his nuclear enrichment program by August 31st. Mr. Ahmadinejad insists that he has the right to develop nuclear energy and will not give in to threats. Iran had said it would respond by the 22nd of August to an incentives package offered by some Western nations. But a top Iranian lawmaker now says, it's, quote, "Null and void."
And today a rare statement from a leading rebel leader in the African nation of Uganda. Joseph Coney told reporters that he's dedicated to negotiating peace after 19 years of war and he's denied committing any war crimes. Coney emerged from the Ugandan bush to hold his first formal meeting with a peace mediator and a Ugandan government negotiator -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain thank you. Up next, Jack Cafferty wants to know if democratic congresswoman Cynthia McKinney should be sent back to Washington. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Jack Cafferty is in New York -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney appears headed for defeat in next Tuesday's runoff election if the latest tracking poll is to be believed. She trails her opponent by 15 points. Our question is whether or not the voters in her district should send her back to Washington.
J.P. in Marietta, Georgia, "One of the many reasons most people look down their noses at Georgia, Cynthia McKinney, she's one of the biggest and worst. However, we live in a nation of Marion Barrys, so don't be surprised if she gets reelected."
Greg in Burleson, Texas, "She should be sent back to Washington, D.C. Any bunch of voters dump enough to elect her as their representative should be stuck with her until she's ready to leave."
Rob in Atlanta, "Jack, I live in McKinney's district and while I'm less than thrilled by her performance, she's still miles ahead of the stuffed shirt she's running against. Will I vote for her? Probably, am I excited about it? Not in the least."
Lance in Lexington, Kentucky, "Why not, she's the only democratic on the hill who's willing to fight over something."
Mike in Decatur, Georgia, "I'm in Cynthia McKinney's district, she's an embarrassment and has made us a joke. I can't see how she could have a shred of credibility in Washington. Any one but McKinney is who I'm voting for on Tuesday."
Ron writes from Tampa, "Whose children have been killed or injured by her actions? Her opponent seems like a Republican in Democrats' clothing. Prepare to eat "sole food," Jack."
And Tommy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, "For God's sake no, if that happens, poor Jack Cafferty would have to eat his shoe. If, heaven forbid, she does get reelected, I suggest wearing hush puppies Jack. They taste great and are less filling."
And if you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile where we post some additional offerings online for your viewing pleasure -- Wolf.
BLITZER: That's going to be a big election next week. Also the Lieberman race coming up next week as well. How does that look Jack?
CAFFERTY: He's going to lose and so is McKinney.
BLITZER: We'll be watching Jack. Thanks very much. This note to our viewers, coming up at 7:00 p.m. eastern, that's the deadline when Israel will resume its air war after a 48 hour so-called cessation, full speed ahead. We're going to show you what's going on as Israel beefs up its military offensive.
Right now, thousands of Israeli ground troops fighting in south Lebanon and Israeli choppers near Baalbeck. Much more coming up in one hour. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Lou Dobbs getting ready to pick up our coverage -- Lou.
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